In the Woods When First We Met

84. The Reverend

If you read the book series, the reverend is someone Anne is very close to, she calls him a "kindred spirit". BUT since this is a story from the tv show, I am making him unpleasant like he is on tv...the reverend sucks.

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"Is something troubling you, Anne?" Matthew asked as they got into the buggy to head for home.

"What? Why?" Anne asked quickly. "Oh, you mean because I didn't take communion?" She gave a sigh. "No...I just didn't want to do it if I was doing it wrong."

Marilla looked surprised. "Doing it wrong? How could you do it wrong? You're just coming to God repentant and asking for forgiveness of sins."

Anne said, "Well, that's just it. I wasn't sure about all this repentance stuff." She was about to go on, but realized she did not want to talk about this with them, because she might accidentally let on that something bad had happened to her. So instead she asked, "Marilla, Matthew, may I go back and speak to the reverend? I want to ask him a question."

"Right now?"

"I feel it is most urgent," she declared.

Matthew and Marilla looked at each other. "Well...all right," Matthew said, turning the buggy around.

When they arrived back at the church, most of the congregation had gone. The church had only a few people still standing around chatting. Anne got out of the buggy.

"Would you like me to go with you?" Marilla asked.

"I think I best go alone," she answered.

Anne wasn't sure where the reverend was. She looked around the church until she found his study and knocked on the door.

"Come in," she heard a voice say.

She slowly opened the door and peeked her head in. The reverend looked up.

"Come in, child. What can I do for you?"

Anne slowly walked to his desk where he was writing. "Reverend, may I ask you a question?"

"Certainly," he replied, setting aside his papers. "Please, sit down."

"I hope it doesn't take up too much of your time. It's just a little question."

"What is it, my child?"

"Why do bad things happen?"

The reverend chuckled. "That's a 'little' question? That is a question that has plagued humankind for centuries."

Anne wasn't smiling.

He said, turning serious, "In Sunday School you've surely learned the story of creation, haven't you? And what happened after- when Eve, the first woman, sinned, the world became tarnished. She tempted Adam, and he fell into sin too. Every sin arose from Eve."

"So it's all her fault, then?" Anne asked hotly, "None of it is Adam's fault? I mean....just because Eve said something to him, it doesn't mean he had to do it."

The reverend replied, "True, there's enough blame to go around. Though, it would seem that the serpent went to Eve because he knew he could not deceive Adam, but could surely deceive Eve, who, naturally, was the weaker of the two."

Anne felt an angry heat rise to her cheeks. "Eve couldn't have been that weak and ineffective if she could convince Adam to throw away all of humankind."

"The devil knows how a woman can so easily lead a righteous man astray."

Anne felt quite impassioned by this and said angrily, "So Adam isn't responsible for his own actions because a woman tempted him? Why couldn't Adam just do the right thing no matter what Eve said?"

The reverend, confused by her taking the matter of blame so personally, backed off and said, "We seem to be moving into murky waters. No matter what we feel about Adam and Eve, the end result is that sin entered the world. It's only natural that bad things run rampant due to it."

Anne tried to calm down, and moved on to her next question: "So...so if something bad happens to me, it's just because the world is fallen in general? ...It isn't because of something I've personally done?"

"I wouldn't put it that way; sometimes God allows bad things to happen to us to teach us something. Or to change our ways."

"God punishes us," Anne said flatly.

"Sometimes, yes..."

Anne didn't know what else to say. Finally she said, "I better go. My family is waiting for me."

She got up to leave. But she stopped at the door and then turned back. She already knew she didn't like the reverend- but now she liked him even less- feeling he was terribly unfair to women. But, she still had another question, and she didn't know who else to ask. "I ought to ask you...I wondered about the sermon. About forgiveness and trespasses and all that."

"You were listening to the sermon!" He said with a smile. "I'm never sure whether children do. Or some of the adults, for that matter. What about forgiveness is troubling you?"

Anne bit her lip. "You see, I didn't take communion today because I can't quite get my heart right with God."

"In what way, child?"

"Because...you said forgiveness means you want the best for someone. That you have no ill will and you want only good for them."

"Yes?"

"...And, well, I'm not sure I can do that. I don't know if I have it in me to forgive...I'd like to do the right thing. But it doesn't seem to be coming easily."

The reverend said, "Nothing worth doing ever comes easily, does it? Forgiveness can be a tricky thing."

"Then what do you do?" Anne asked.

"It seems to me that it may be your sense of pride," he continued.

"What do you mean?" Anne asked.

"In order to be forgiving, you have to be humble. You have to realize that you, too, are a sinner. You have to realize that the person who wronged you is not worse than yourself."

"Really? But what if they are worse than myself? People do all kinds of terrible things like...like murder! I've never done anything that bad."

"To God, sin is sin. If you begin to compare and to rationalize why your sins are not as bad as other's sins, you are giving the devil a foothold. After all, even an unkind word, or a...a wrong thought is a sin. The bible says 'Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths; get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander'..."

Anne just stared at him. Finally she said, "I'll...I'll keep that in mind, reverend. See you next Sunday."

And she walked out of the dark church and into the blinding winter sunshine.

She felt absolutely no resolution from this conversation.

(Note- I know the reverend is mean but it will work out okay in the coming week.)